selective

Pronunciation

• IPA: /səˈlɛktɪv/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed in English from select and -ive,^[2] from Latin sēlēctus, the past participle of sēligō (“to select”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Having the faculty of selecting, characterized by selection: 1625 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1620s in Etymonline.^[4][3][2]

Semantic evolution

It was applied to physical processes that select from 1843,^[4] and in psychology to selective attention from 1875.^[4] In wireless telegraphy, a system allowing several messages to be sent without interference is from 1906,^[4] the origin of the radio sense, able to pick out a particular frequency.^[5][6] Selective service, the American system of military conscription, is from 1917, and selectee from 1940.^[2] Selective breeding is from 1931.^[4]

Timeline

• 1625 – selective.^[4][3]
• 1843 – of physical processes.^[4]
• 1906 – in wireless telegraphy.^[4]
• 1917 – selective service (US).^[2]
• 1931 – selective breeding.^[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Choosing carefully; discriminating.
2. Relating to or involving selection; affecting only some members of a group.
3. (electronics) Able to separate out a particular frequency.

Word family

• selectively
• selectiveness
• selectivity
• nonselective
• unselective
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor

Related words

• select
• selection
• elect
• collect

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins